NHL’s Jordan Eberle: Once a Pat, always a Pat

Former Regina Pats star Jordan Eberle, who now plays for the NHL Edmonton Oilers, was back at the Brandt Centre taking in a practice with the Regina Pats on Tuesday, Dec. 4.

Photograph by: TROY FLEECE
, REGINA LEADER-POST

REGINA — It was just like old times on Tuesday when Jordan Eberle emerged from the Regina Pats’ dressing room, flashed a trademark grin and settled into his familiar position in front of the cameras.

Before he had ever represented the Edmonton Oilers in an NHL all-star game or become Canada’s golden boy on the international stage, Eberle proudly spent four seasons under the spotlight of his hometown WHL club.

During that time, he forged a career that stands alongside the greatest players to wear Pats colours. Just 2 ½ years removed from his junior days, Eberle’s place in history will be formalized tonight when his No. 7 jersey is retired during a pre-game ceremony at the Brandt Centre.

“It feels like yesterday that I was here,” reflected Eberle, who practised with his old team on Tuesday. “My four years here are years I wouldn’t trade for anything. You know how I feel about Regina. I grew up watching the Pats and I dreamt of playing for them. Getting an opportunity to play for them for four years was pretty incredible. It obviously got me where I am today.”

It also earned him a place among the immortals of the oldest franchise in major-junior hockey. He’s the ninth player to have his jersey retired by the Pats, joining Mike Sillinger, Ed Staniowski, Brad Hornung, Clark Gillies, Doug Wickenheiser, Dennis Sobchuk, Dale Derkatch and Bill Hicke.

“It’s a little unexpected,” said Eberle, adding that he’s “excited and humbled” by the honour but joked that he feels a little strange talking about a “retirement” at age 22.

“I remember being in practice every day when I was playing here, I’d look up and you see names like Dale Derkatch, who was one of our coaches one year, and Mike Sillinger, who I have a pretty close relationship with. To be up there for the young kids to see and even when I walk in, to see that is definitely special. I don’t think words can really describe it.”

Eberle conceded that he might again be speechless while his jersey is being raised to the rafters. That’s why he prepared a speech for tonight’s ceremony, during which he’ll be accompanied by his parents (Darren and Lisa, who made the trip from Calgary) plus three siblings (brother Dustin and sisters Ashley and Whitney). Among the other family members to be in attendance are his grandparents, Al and Lynn, with whom Eberle billeted during his time with the Pats.

It will also be a night of celebration for others who watched Eberle grow. People like former Pats head scout Todd Ripplinger, who calls Eberle the best all-around player he drafted in 14 years with the team. Eberle was also the biggest steal, picked in the seventh round (126th overall) of the 2005 WHL bantam draft.

“I knew I was getting him in the draft for some reason,” recalled Ripplinger, noting that other teams were scared away by Eberle’s tiny frame. “I just knew that was the round we were taking him. The rest is history.

“He was always the best guy (growing up) but everybody always questioned his size, his skating. I remember hearing ‘we’ll see how good he is when there’s contact.’ He was still good. ‘We’ll see how good he is when he has to play against guys twice his size.’ He was still good. He was clutch. He won league championships in minor hockey, he won The Brick Tournament in Edmonton, which is the top atom tournament in the world. He got cut from Team Saskatchewan, went and played for the Vancouver Vipers and beat Steven Stamkos in the final in overtime. He scored the winner on a wraparound.

“All through his life he has been doubted. It’s a good thing he had the heart of a lion. He proved them wrong.”

Along the way, he dealt with pressure like a champion.

“Being a local hero, he handled it so well,” added Ripplinger, now the director of player development with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. “Making appearances at schools, he was never afraid to show his face in public. He was always willing to help out in the community.”

Eberle’s family moved from Regina to Calgary when he was 15. He played for the Midget AAA Calgary Buffaloes, leading them to a bronze medal at the 2006 Mac's Midget Hockey Tournament before helping them get to the 2006 Telus Cup national championship game where they lost in overtime. Eberle joined the Pats a year later, although the homecoming initially wasn’t a slam dunk.

“I wasn’t a big guy and I wasn’t a highly touted guy,” Eberle recalled. “I came into camp and I had a really good camp. I knew I was good enough to play here. It was a matter of whether I was big enough and strong enough. Was I going to get hurt? It was a decision that for me was a no brainer. I wanted to play for the Pats. My dad and my grandpa weren’t so sure. They thought I was too small but once I got playing and started scoring it just felt right.

“It’s probably one of the best decisions I’ve made.”

When the dust cleared four years later, Eberle had left an indelible mark on the franchise while recording 155 goals and 155 assists for 310 points in 254 regular-season games. In fact, he became a home-town hero long before the rest of the country jumped on the bandwagon during the 2009 world junior championship in Ottawa. It was there that he scored one of the biggest goals in Team Canada history — a last-second, game-tying marker against Russia in the semifinals — before adding another in the shootout. Canada went on to beat Sweden in the final, claiming its fifth straight gold medal.

The next year in Saskatoon, Eberle added to his legacy as one of the greatest clutch players in Canadian history when he scored two goals in the final three minutes of the gold-medal final against the U.S. — becoming Canada’s all-time leading scorer in the process — to spark an improbable comeback that ended in overtime heartbreak.

Eberle shook off the disappointment and returned to Regina, capping his final junior campaign with 50 goals and 106 points in just 50 games. That earned him WHL and CHL player-of-the-year honours.

Along the way, he learned about the good and bad of being a local celebrity due to the demands on his time off the ice along with the pressure of having to lead an underachieving team to the playoffs.

He never complained.

“For me it was really never about the bad,” said Eberle, who’s playing for the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons during the NHL lockout. “Regina being my hometown, I had so much fun playing in front of the home crowd every night. I had a lot of family and friends there too. It was the best-case scenario for me. I actually enjoyed playing in front of pressure all the time. It just seemed like you had to rise to the occasion.”

The Pats ultimately failed to reach the post-season in Eberle’s final junior campaign. Then-GM Brent Parker took tremendous heat for not dealing him at the trade deadline, but Eberle appreciated the opportunity to finish his WHL career where it started.

“It would have been weird if I would have been traded to the Brandon Wheat Kings or Saskatoon Blades,” he noted. “It’s always nice to say you played with one franchise your whole career.”

Although the last of his teammates from the 2009-10 season are gone, Eberle has left a legacy with the Pats.

At the forefront is top NHL prospect Morgan Klimchuk, who — like Eberle — is a gifted sniper who was born in Regina and now lives in Calgary. They have crossed paths over the years while working out at the same gym in the off-season.

“I got the opportunity to see how hard he works, the dedication and time he puts in to being as good as he is,” said Klimchuk. “He’s a great guy. I absolutely love the way he plays. He was an unbelievable player for the Pats and he’s an unbelievable player in the NHL. He was the face of the team when he was here. Everyone loves him here. For him to have his number retired, he more than deserves it.

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